Cannabis addict jailed for three years for terrifying axe robbery on local store

AN apprentice painter and decorator was yesterday (July 2) jailed for three years after using an axe to rob a village store yards from his own home.

Cannabis addict Marcus Richardson was clad in black and his face was partially covered as he sauntered into the convenience store in Brompton, Northallerton.

After loitering for a few minutes the 20-year-old walked up to the counter and pulled out the axe, threatening the woman assistant.

“The raised axe was thrust towards her numerous times while threats were made and it must have been extremely frightening," said Jessica Strange, prosecuting.

"She was scared and shocked and genuinely thought he was going to use the axe. ”

She added that Richardson - who lived very close to the shop - only lowered the axe after grabbing £340 worth of notes and coins from the till.

Richardson initially denied robbery of the Northallerton Road store on April 22 last year but later changed his plea to guilty at Teesside Crown Court. He also admitted having an offensive weapon.

CCTV footage showed Richardson strolling into the store shortly after 4.20pm and, after a few minutes, going to the counter before raising the axe and telling the terrified assistant to ‘Put the f****** money in the bag’.

Miss Strange added: “This was obviously a planned offence with the carrying of the weapon and the way he was dressed with a scarf and all in black.”

The court heard Richardson, who has two previous convictions for criminal damage, was addicted to smoking cannabis and had been a “difficult” teenager.

He looked on sheepishly from the dock as the video was shown to the court, at one point dabbing away tears.

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Kieran Rainey, mitigating, said Richardson, of Water End, Brompton, acted out of desperation after a drug dealer he owed money to threatened to smash the windows of his mother’s home if he did not pay up.

“He had a debt of £300 to £350," he said. "He panicked and made an extremely short sighted decision. He committed a terrible offence which was out of character for him.

"He is absolutely insistent he would not have used the axe and would have run off if challenged.”

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The barrister claimed Richardson had “grown up” while living in a bail hostel and also referred to a probation report which said the apprentice painter and decorator was a reduced risk if he stayed drug free and gained financial independence through a job.

Jailing Richardson for three years, Judge Peter Bowers told him the impact of such a robbery was “enormous” and said Richardson would have seen the effect it had on his victim.

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Comments (11)

Cannabis addict jailed for three years for terrifying axe robbery on local store

Fakeycakemaker2 says...6:51am Thu 3 Jul 14

Sentenced to 3 yrs but will be out in 1yr, that'll teach him a real lesson FFS.

Sentenced to 3 yrs but will be out in 1yr, that'll teach him a real lesson FFS.Fakeycakemaker2

Sentenced to 3 yrs but will be out in 1yr, that'll teach him a real lesson FFS.

Score: 14

laboursfoe says...8:01am Thu 3 Jul 14

Just waiting for the pot head defenders to come online and rubbish the link with Cannabis!!!!

Just waiting for the pot head defenders to come online and rubbish the link with Cannabis!!!!laboursfoe

Just waiting for the pot head defenders to come online and rubbish the link with Cannabis!!!!

Score: 9

CarolMC says...8:39am Thu 3 Jul 14

How right you are laboursfoe.........a nd how sad they won't defend the poor lady shop assistant who was the victim and will probably have nightmares for ever, following such an ordeal. Having worked for the Post Office for years, I know exactly the meaning of "living in fear"...........what a disgusting world we now live in?

How right you are laboursfoe.........a
nd how sad they won't defend the poor lady shop assistant who was the victim and will probably have nightmares for ever, following such an ordeal. Having worked for the Post Office for years, I know exactly the meaning of "living in fear"...........what a disgusting world we now live in?CarolMC

How right you are laboursfoe.........a nd how sad they won't defend the poor lady shop assistant who was the victim and will probably have nightmares for ever, following such an ordeal. Having worked for the Post Office for years, I know exactly the meaning of "living in fear"...........what a disgusting world we now live in?

Score: 15

LUSTARD says...10:22am Thu 3 Jul 14

laboursfoe wrote…

Just waiting for the pot head defenders to come online and rubbish the link with Cannabis!!!!

wont be long, its now, legal, in most states of america, and what they do over there were not long sheepishly following behind. its not dodgy labourites screwing the brains of future young conservatives in advance is it, just a thought.

[quote][p][bold]laboursfoe[/bold] wrote:
Just waiting for the pot head defenders to come online and rubbish the link with Cannabis!!!![/p][/quote]wont be long, its now, legal, in most states of america, and what they do over there were not long sheepishly following behind. its not dodgy labourites screwing the brains of future young conservatives in advance is it, just a thought.LUSTARD

laboursfoe wrote…

Just waiting for the pot head defenders to come online and rubbish the link with Cannabis!!!!

wont be long, its now, legal, in most states of america, and what they do over there were not long sheepishly following behind. its not dodgy labourites screwing the brains of future young conservatives in advance is it, just a thought.

Score: -4

stevegg says...11:09am Thu 3 Jul 14

All drug addicts and dealers should be shipped off to one of the UK's many uninhabited islands, subject to enforced quarantine and forced to rehab so they are not a menace to the rest of us law abiding public and stopped from being a lifetime drain on public resources. The time for softness has long since passed. Drug addiction is now at eppidemic proprtions and causing misery millions.

All drug addicts and dealers should be shipped off to one of the UK's many uninhabited islands, subject to enforced quarantine and forced to rehab so they are not a menace to the rest of us law abiding public and stopped from being a lifetime drain on public resources. The time for softness has long since passed. Drug addiction is now at eppidemic proprtions and causing misery millions.stevegg

All drug addicts and dealers should be shipped off to one of the UK's many uninhabited islands, subject to enforced quarantine and forced to rehab so they are not a menace to the rest of us law abiding public and stopped from being a lifetime drain on public resources. The time for softness has long since passed. Drug addiction is now at eppidemic proprtions and causing misery millions.

Score: 2

Ron Carter-Bonsteel says...11:53am Thu 3 Jul 14

stevegg wrote…

All drug addicts and dealers should be shipped off to one of the UK's many uninhabited islands, subject to enforced quarantine and forced to rehab so they are not a menace to the rest of us law abiding public and stopped from being a lifetime drain on public resources. The time for softness has long since passed. Drug addiction is now at eppidemic proprtions and causing misery millions.

Totally agree with you. any addiction is self-inflicted users know the dangers of drugs as do people who drink alcohol. Dealers should be punished and tougher penalties but the do-gooders in Society say differently. There are many dealers and users getting off a jail sentence and our Justice system must be one of the worst in the World has dealers/users are not scared of a spell in prison because it's a holiday camp for them no bills to pay four meals a day free electric and sky sports and movies. Think most people could only dream of such a life worry free instead of people getting sanctioned from the benefits agency and losing their benefits and people on low wages struggling to make ends meet. No thought is ever given to the victims only the scum in Society.

[quote][p][bold]stevegg[/bold] wrote:
All drug addicts and dealers should be shipped off to one of the UK's many uninhabited islands, subject to enforced quarantine and forced to rehab so they are not a menace to the rest of us law abiding public and stopped from being a lifetime drain on public resources. The time for softness has long since passed. Drug addiction is now at eppidemic proprtions and causing misery millions.[/p][/quote]Totally agree with you. any addiction is self-inflicted users know the dangers of drugs as do people who drink alcohol. Dealers should be punished and tougher penalties but the do-gooders in Society say differently. There are many dealers and users getting off a jail sentence and our Justice system must be one of the worst in the World has dealers/users are not scared of a spell in prison because it's a holiday camp for them no bills to pay four meals a day free electric and sky sports and movies. Think most people could only dream of such a life worry free instead of people getting sanctioned from the benefits agency and losing their benefits and people on low wages struggling to make ends meet.
No thought is ever given to the victims only the scum in Society.Ron Carter-Bonsteel

stevegg wrote…

All drug addicts and dealers should be shipped off to one of the UK's many uninhabited islands, subject to enforced quarantine and forced to rehab so they are not a menace to the rest of us law abiding public and stopped from being a lifetime drain on public resources. The time for softness has long since passed. Drug addiction is now at eppidemic proprtions and causing misery millions.

Totally agree with you. any addiction is self-inflicted users know the dangers of drugs as do people who drink alcohol. Dealers should be punished and tougher penalties but the do-gooders in Society say differently. There are many dealers and users getting off a jail sentence and our Justice system must be one of the worst in the World has dealers/users are not scared of a spell in prison because it's a holiday camp for them no bills to pay four meals a day free electric and sky sports and movies. Think most people could only dream of such a life worry free instead of people getting sanctioned from the benefits agency and losing their benefits and people on low wages struggling to make ends meet. No thought is ever given to the victims only the scum in Society.

Score: 1

Pegray1 says...5:22pm Thu 3 Jul 14

This boy's debt could have easily been from not paying rent, or tax, or any other transaction in which the supplier agreed to loan the consumer some product for a promise of payment in the future. It's not about cannabis, it's about education. The whole reason the economy is in ruins is because people want things without having to pay, or wanting to pay "later". THAT is the lesson to take from this crime, not that the devil's grass drove this "difficult teenager" to whip out the ol' hatchet and rob a place. This is such an isolated event that it wouldn't matter if he was on every drug available. And to the author and commenters so blatantly ignorant to serious matters of global scale, I hope its nice on cloud nine.

This boy's debt could have easily been from not paying rent, or tax, or any other transaction in which the supplier agreed to loan the consumer some product for a promise of payment in the future. It's not about cannabis, it's about education. The whole reason the economy is in ruins is because people want things without having to pay, or wanting to pay "later". THAT is the lesson to take from this crime, not that the devil's grass drove this "difficult teenager" to whip out the ol' hatchet and rob a place. This is such an isolated event that it wouldn't matter if he was on every drug available. And to the author and commenters so blatantly ignorant to serious matters of global scale, I hope its nice on cloud nine.Pegray1

This boy's debt could have easily been from not paying rent, or tax, or any other transaction in which the supplier agreed to loan the consumer some product for a promise of payment in the future. It's not about cannabis, it's about education. The whole reason the economy is in ruins is because people want things without having to pay, or wanting to pay "later". THAT is the lesson to take from this crime, not that the devil's grass drove this "difficult teenager" to whip out the ol' hatchet and rob a place. This is such an isolated event that it wouldn't matter if he was on every drug available. And to the author and commenters so blatantly ignorant to serious matters of global scale, I hope its nice on cloud nine.

Score: 6

CarolMC says...10:04pm Thu 3 Jul 14

Pegray1 wrote…

This boy's debt could have easily been from not paying rent, or tax, or any other transaction in which the supplier agreed to loan the consumer some product for a promise of payment in the future. It's not about cannabis, it's about education. The whole reason the economy is in ruins is because people want things without having to pay, or wanting to pay "later". THAT is the lesson to take from this crime, not that the devil's grass drove this "difficult teenager" to whip out the ol' hatchet and rob a place. This is such an isolated event that it wouldn't matter if he was on every drug available. And to the author and commenters so blatantly ignorant to serious matters of global scale, I hope its nice on cloud nine.

"Isolated event???" Now who's living on cloud nine? You clearly don't turn on your tv or read the newspapers.......... ..Sad to say that the "blatant ignorance" comes from comments like yours? Must add, however, that I agree totally, with the immoral loan sharks out there preying on the vulnerable.......... but to state that this was the cause of this act is, in my opinion, very naïve. Obviously, you could just be correct in this particular instance, but to simply assume........what is it they say? To "assume" makes an "**** out of you and me"..........I rest my case!

[quote][p][bold]Pegray1[/bold] wrote:
This boy's debt could have easily been from not paying rent, or tax, or any other transaction in which the supplier agreed to loan the consumer some product for a promise of payment in the future. It's not about cannabis, it's about education. The whole reason the economy is in ruins is because people want things without having to pay, or wanting to pay "later". THAT is the lesson to take from this crime, not that the devil's grass drove this "difficult teenager" to whip out the ol' hatchet and rob a place. This is such an isolated event that it wouldn't matter if he was on every drug available. And to the author and commenters so blatantly ignorant to serious matters of global scale, I hope its nice on cloud nine.[/p][/quote]"Isolated event???" Now who's living on cloud nine? You clearly don't turn on your tv or read the newspapers..........
..Sad to say that the "blatant ignorance" comes from comments like yours? Must add, however, that I agree totally, with the immoral loan sharks out there preying on the vulnerable..........
but to state that this was the cause of this act is, in my opinion, very naïve. Obviously, you could just be correct in this particular instance, but to simply assume........what is it they say? To "assume" makes an "**** out of you and me"..........I rest my case!CarolMC

Pegray1 wrote…

This boy's debt could have easily been from not paying rent, or tax, or any other transaction in which the supplier agreed to loan the consumer some product for a promise of payment in the future. It's not about cannabis, it's about education. The whole reason the economy is in ruins is because people want things without having to pay, or wanting to pay "later". THAT is the lesson to take from this crime, not that the devil's grass drove this "difficult teenager" to whip out the ol' hatchet and rob a place. This is such an isolated event that it wouldn't matter if he was on every drug available. And to the author and commenters so blatantly ignorant to serious matters of global scale, I hope its nice on cloud nine.

"Isolated event???" Now who's living on cloud nine? You clearly don't turn on your tv or read the newspapers.......... ..Sad to say that the "blatant ignorance" comes from comments like yours? Must add, however, that I agree totally, with the immoral loan sharks out there preying on the vulnerable.......... but to state that this was the cause of this act is, in my opinion, very naïve. Obviously, you could just be correct in this particular instance, but to simply assume........what is it they say? To "assume" makes an "**** out of you and me"..........I rest my case!

Score: -2

cballington says...1:02pm Sat 5 Jul 14

to be fair this wouldnt have happened if it was legal as he wouldnt owe money to the dealer. legalizing it has its downsides and needs to be discussed heavily but there is no doubt crime would decrease

to be fair this wouldnt have happened if it was legal as he wouldnt owe money to the dealer. legalizing it has its downsides and needs to be discussed heavily but there is no doubt crime would decreasecballington

to be fair this wouldnt have happened if it was legal as he wouldnt owe money to the dealer. legalizing it has its downsides and needs to be discussed heavily but there is no doubt crime would decrease

Score: -3

Pegray1 says...5:36pm Sat 5 Jul 14

CarolMC wrote…

Pegray1 wrote…

This boy's debt could have easily been from not paying rent, or tax, or any other transaction in which the supplier agreed to loan the consumer some product for a promise of payment in the future. It's not about cannabis, it's about education. The whole reason the economy is in ruins is because people want things without having to pay, or wanting to pay "later". THAT is the lesson to take from this crime, not that the devil's grass drove this "difficult teenager" to whip out the ol' hatchet and rob a place. This is such an isolated event that it wouldn't matter if he was on every drug available. And to the author and commenters so blatantly ignorant to serious matters of global scale, I hope its nice on cloud nine.

"Isolated event???" Now who's living on cloud nine? You clearly don't turn on your tv or read the newspapers.......... ..Sad to say that the "blatant ignorance" comes from comments like yours? Must add, however, that I agree totally, with the immoral loan sharks out there preying on the vulnerable.......... but to state that this was the cause of this act is, in my opinion, very naïve. Obviously, you could just be correct in this particular instance, but to simply assume........what is it they say? To "assume" makes an "**** out of you and me"..........I rest my case!

I'm not assuming anything. I'm stating a possibility, unlike the author who seems to want to put the blame on cannabis. I said that the lesson of not borrowing money you can't pay back is what people should learn from the crime, and what better moral to the story do you see? If you think the lesson should be don't do drugs, refer to my previous argument, and do some proper research you lazy git. "Drugs" as we have been taught to categorise ALL mind-altering substances, are not all bad, and can ALL be taken safely and responsibly (with the exception of certain obviously deteriorating chemicals like Krokodil and Jenkem which I should add are produced from a lack of safe alternatives). It is beneficial and essential for humans to escape their minds once in a while. Do you drink beer? Wine? Smoke cigarettes? Do yoga? All are born from the same desire. The kid's desire to get high was not what made him commit this crime. It was a mix of internal and external conflicts which forced him to believe he had very few options for survival (something all humans are built with as well btw). It may seem like I'm overreacting to an article that didn't even fully concentrate on cannabis, but its the little hints that author's (respected ones too) include in their articles that sway public opinion. So no, I'm not saying remove all connotations of cannabis from the article, but next time, try to focus on the theme that would benefit people and not just stir confusion. I really wish I didn't have to comment but for people to say things like "All drug addicts and dealers should be shipped off to one of the UK's many uninhabited islands, subject to enforced quarantine and forced to rehab so they are not a menace to the rest of us law abiding public", and then for others to agree! I had to say something.

[quote][p][bold]CarolMC[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Pegray1[/bold] wrote:
This boy's debt could have easily been from not paying rent, or tax, or any other transaction in which the supplier agreed to loan the consumer some product for a promise of payment in the future. It's not about cannabis, it's about education. The whole reason the economy is in ruins is because people want things without having to pay, or wanting to pay "later". THAT is the lesson to take from this crime, not that the devil's grass drove this "difficult teenager" to whip out the ol' hatchet and rob a place. This is such an isolated event that it wouldn't matter if he was on every drug available. And to the author and commenters so blatantly ignorant to serious matters of global scale, I hope its nice on cloud nine.[/p][/quote]"Isolated event???" Now who's living on cloud nine? You clearly don't turn on your tv or read the newspapers..........
..Sad to say that the "blatant ignorance" comes from comments like yours? Must add, however, that I agree totally, with the immoral loan sharks out there preying on the vulnerable..........
but to state that this was the cause of this act is, in my opinion, very naïve. Obviously, you could just be correct in this particular instance, but to simply assume........what is it they say? To "assume" makes an "**** out of you and me"..........I rest my case![/p][/quote]I'm not assuming anything. I'm stating a possibility, unlike the author who seems to want to put the blame on cannabis. I said that the lesson of not borrowing money you can't pay back is what people should learn from the crime, and what better moral to the story do you see? If you think the lesson should be don't do drugs, refer to my previous argument, and do some proper research you lazy git. "Drugs" as we have been taught to categorise ALL mind-altering substances, are not all bad, and can ALL be taken safely and responsibly (with the exception of certain obviously deteriorating chemicals like Krokodil and Jenkem which I should add are produced from a lack of safe alternatives). It is beneficial and essential for humans to escape their minds once in a while. Do you drink beer? Wine? Smoke cigarettes? Do yoga? All are born from the same desire. The kid's desire to get high was not what made him commit this crime. It was a mix of internal and external conflicts which forced him to believe he had very few options for survival (something all humans are built with as well btw). It may seem like I'm overreacting to an article that didn't even fully concentrate on cannabis, but its the little hints that author's (respected ones too) include in their articles that sway public opinion. So no, I'm not saying remove all connotations of cannabis from the article, but next time, try to focus on the theme that would benefit people and not just stir confusion. I really wish I didn't have to comment but for people to say things like "All drug addicts and dealers should be shipped off to one of the UK's many uninhabited islands, subject to enforced quarantine and forced to rehab so they are not a menace to the rest of us law abiding public", and then for others to agree! I had to say something.Pegray1

CarolMC wrote…

Pegray1 wrote…

This boy's debt could have easily been from not paying rent, or tax, or any other transaction in which the supplier agreed to loan the consumer some product for a promise of payment in the future. It's not about cannabis, it's about education. The whole reason the economy is in ruins is because people want things without having to pay, or wanting to pay "later". THAT is the lesson to take from this crime, not that the devil's grass drove this "difficult teenager" to whip out the ol' hatchet and rob a place. This is such an isolated event that it wouldn't matter if he was on every drug available. And to the author and commenters so blatantly ignorant to serious matters of global scale, I hope its nice on cloud nine.

"Isolated event???" Now who's living on cloud nine? You clearly don't turn on your tv or read the newspapers.......... ..Sad to say that the "blatant ignorance" comes from comments like yours? Must add, however, that I agree totally, with the immoral loan sharks out there preying on the vulnerable.......... but to state that this was the cause of this act is, in my opinion, very naïve. Obviously, you could just be correct in this particular instance, but to simply assume........what is it they say? To "assume" makes an "**** out of you and me"..........I rest my case!

I'm not assuming anything. I'm stating a possibility, unlike the author who seems to want to put the blame on cannabis. I said that the lesson of not borrowing money you can't pay back is what people should learn from the crime, and what better moral to the story do you see? If you think the lesson should be don't do drugs, refer to my previous argument, and do some proper research you lazy git. "Drugs" as we have been taught to categorise ALL mind-altering substances, are not all bad, and can ALL be taken safely and responsibly (with the exception of certain obviously deteriorating chemicals like Krokodil and Jenkem which I should add are produced from a lack of safe alternatives). It is beneficial and essential for humans to escape their minds once in a while. Do you drink beer? Wine? Smoke cigarettes? Do yoga? All are born from the same desire. The kid's desire to get high was not what made him commit this crime. It was a mix of internal and external conflicts which forced him to believe he had very few options for survival (something all humans are built with as well btw). It may seem like I'm overreacting to an article that didn't even fully concentrate on cannabis, but its the little hints that author's (respected ones too) include in their articles that sway public opinion. So no, I'm not saying remove all connotations of cannabis from the article, but next time, try to focus on the theme that would benefit people and not just stir confusion. I really wish I didn't have to comment but for people to say things like "All drug addicts and dealers should be shipped off to one of the UK's many uninhabited islands, subject to enforced quarantine and forced to rehab so they are not a menace to the rest of us law abiding public", and then for others to agree! I had to say something.

Score: -1

Pegray1 says...5:38pm Sat 5 Jul 14

CarolMC wrote…

How right you are laboursfoe.........a nd how sad they won't defend the poor lady shop assistant who was the victim and will probably have nightmares for ever, following such an ordeal. Having worked for the Post Office for years, I know exactly the meaning of "living in fear"...........what a disgusting world we now live in?

Take a look back into history and tell me times are more disgusting now than they were when people were boiling humans alive for entertainment in a royal banquet hall. Are you so narrow-minded you can't even admit that the world has progressed? We have the **** internet now. SO DISGUSTING OH MY GOD.

[quote][p][bold]CarolMC[/bold] wrote:
How right you are laboursfoe.........a
nd how sad they won't defend the poor lady shop assistant who was the victim and will probably have nightmares for ever, following such an ordeal. Having worked for the Post Office for years, I know exactly the meaning of "living in fear"...........what a disgusting world we now live in?[/p][/quote]Take a look back into history and tell me times are more disgusting now than they were when people were boiling humans alive for entertainment in a royal banquet hall. Are you so narrow-minded you can't even admit that the world has progressed? We have the **** internet now. SO DISGUSTING OH MY GOD.Pegray1

CarolMC wrote…

How right you are laboursfoe.........a nd how sad they won't defend the poor lady shop assistant who was the victim and will probably have nightmares for ever, following such an ordeal. Having worked for the Post Office for years, I know exactly the meaning of "living in fear"...........what a disgusting world we now live in?

Take a look back into history and tell me times are more disgusting now than they were when people were boiling humans alive for entertainment in a royal banquet hall. Are you so narrow-minded you can't even admit that the world has progressed? We have the **** internet now. SO DISGUSTING OH MY GOD.

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